Population Council

Designing a not-for-profit office that reflects workplace trends in openness, transparency, and collaboration

Based in New York City, The Population Council is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization. They conduct biomedical, social science, and public health research and help build research capacities in developing countries. In 1992, our firm designed a two-floor full build-out for the not-for-profit on the 9th and 10th floors at One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in New York. The space featured a new interconnecting stair in the back office area with a feature copper-leaf wall, and enclosed hard-wall offices were incorporated along the perimeter.

Twenty years later, after the successful completion of this office, Population Council retained our team to design their new offices on the 2nd and 3rd floors within the same building. For this in-building relocation, the client wanted the space to reflect current workplace trends in openness, transparency, and collaboration. The new workplace design shortened their previous high-paneled workstations with low panels and incorporated glass-office fronts along the perimeter to allow for natural daylight to permeate the space. Our design features a two-story hub with an interconnecting stair that links the reception area, conference center, library, and cafe. This focal point provides space for town halls, community events, and other public functions.

Highly efficient planning allows the client to accommodate more staff with less rentable area, while the clear glass-fronted offices, collaborative meeting hubs, and open workstations create a more vibrant and dynamic sense of space. This transformative project was completed on a fast-track, 16-week schedule.